Business
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Renewables
Norway’s Equinor Cuts 20% of Renewable Energy Staff
European energy major Equinor said it is cutting 20% of the workforce, or about 250 jobs, in its renewable energy division due to continued economic challenges. The Norway-based company said the layoffs are part of the company’s effort to streamline its operations. Equinor in recent months has canceled offshore wind projects in several countries, including […]
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Nuclear
NRC Approves Construction of First Electricity-Producing Gen IV Reactor in the U.S.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has taken a historic step by voting to issue construction permits for Kairos Power’s 70-MWth Hermes 2, a “low power” advanced test facility comprising two 35-MWth molten salt reactors. “Following the Commission’s vote, Hermes 2 is now the first electricity-producing Gen IV plant to be approved for construction in the […]
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Hydrogen
GE Vernova Unveils 100% Hydrogen-Fueled Aeroderivative Gas Turbine Solution, Secures First Customer
GE Vernova has unveiled a 100% hydrogen-ready aeroderivative gas turbine solution based on its LM6000VELOX package. The first-of-a-kind technology will be showcased at the 200-MW Whyalla hydrogen power plant in South Australia, with commissioning slated for early 2026. “It is projected to mark the first time a GE Vernova power plant project, at a commercial […]
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Nuclear
Solid Leadership and Experience Are Keys to Successful Nuclear Plant Construction Projects
One of the biggest challenges the nuclear power industry faces is building plants on time and on budget. Having an experienced project team with the right leaders driving the bus, so to speak, can mean the
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Gas
Entergy Louisiana Eyes 2.2 GW of New Gas-Fired Generation to Support Data Center Demand
A filing with the Louisiana Public Service Commission shows that Entergy plans to build more than 2 GW of natural gas-fired power generation in the state, including a 1,500-MW facility in northeast Louisiana that would provide power for a large Meta data center operation in an area off Interstate 20 in Holly Ridge (Figure 1). […]
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Nuclear
Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant Cuts Nation’s Reliance on Natural Gas-Fired Electricity Generation
In a strategic move to reduce its heavy dependence on Russian natural gas, Belarus has successfully completed its first nuclear power plant (NPP). The Belarusian NPP, featuring two VVER-1200 reactors, now
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Nuclear
Artificial Intelligence Has Entered the Nuclear Industry and Its Early Benefits Are Just the Tip of the Iceberg
A collaboration between startup Atomic Canyon and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory allowed construction of a sentence-embedding model using 53 million pages of Nuclear Regulatory Commission documents
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Nuclear
Financing the Nuclear Renaissance
At the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, last December, 25 countries underlined the role of nuclear energy in their climate strategies by issuing a
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Nuclear
Mobility, Flexibility, Scalability: SMRs Forging Nuclear’s Future
The need for emissions-free power generation, along with the ability to provide more power when and where it’s needed, is driving research and development of smaller nuclear reactors. Energy industry
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Trends
Can Nuclear’s Big Recent Wins Propel a True Global Revival?
While the past year has marked stunning triumphs for nuclear energy, experts caution that high costs, regulatory bottlenecks, and the need for market alignment remain major hurdles on the path to a true
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Nuclear
Tear It Down or Start It Back Up? Plant Owners Weigh Options Around Retired Reactors
Nuclear power plants are still being dismantled, and the business of decommissioning remains strong, but the need for more baseload power and emissions-free generation has some companies ready to restart idled
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Trends
Nuclear Fuel: The Unseen Barrier Ahead
As global nuclear ambitions surge, the industry’s fuel supply chain faces critical gaps. Can advanced fuels like HALEU (high-assay low-enriched uranium) and TRISO (TRi-structural ISOtropic particle fuel)
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Nuclear
Idaho Digital Twin Project Trailblazing for Nuclear
In 2023, Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and Idaho State University unveiled the industry’s first near real-time digital twin of a nuclear reactor. The virtual replica of the 5-Wth AGN-201 research reactor
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Trends
How Nuclear O&M Is Evolving for the Emerging Power Paradigm
In its quest to drive down costs while boosting safety, the nuclear industry has ramped up efforts to streamline operations and maintenance (O&M). New approaches target efficiency and resilience. If there
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Nuclear
Continued Excellent Nuclear Power Plant Performance Bodes Well for Future Prospects
The carbon-free attributes and consistently high fleet performance have led to increasing momentum behind nuclear power. With ambitious plans to triple global nuclear capacity by 2050, the nuclear industry is
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Renewables
SRP and EDP Renewables Announce New Energy Storage System to Support Increasing Energy Demand
Salt River Project (SRP) and Flatland Storage LLC, a subsidiary of EDP Renewables North America LLC (EDPR NA), have entered into an agreement to provide 200 MW of new energy storage to Arizona’s grid. The Flatland Energy Storage Project will be a 200-MW/800-MWh battery energy storage system located near Coolidge, Arizona. The project will utilize […]
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Nuclear
Group Has Contract to Build Two New CANDU Reactors in Romania
Canada’s AtkinsRéalis Group announced it has an agreement to build two new CANDU nuclear reactors in Romania, which would be the first new reactors of that type built since 2007. The Montreal-based company on Nov. 15 said the Romanian project is a joint venture with Fluor Corp., Ansaldo Nucleare, and Sargent & Lundy. The contract […]
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Hydrogen
Abraxas Power, EDF Group Plan 3-GW Green Hydrogen Project in Canada
Abraxas Power Corp. and French energy giant EDF Group have announced the companies will collaborate on development of a 3-GW power-to-X (P2X) project in Newfoundland, Canada. Abraxas and EDF on Nov. 18 said the project would use wind energy to power electrolyzers and produce green hydrogen and ammonia, with output of as much as 200,000 […]
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Business
New Blade Adapter Trailer Eases Transport of 80-Meter-Long Wind Turbine Blades
Collett & Sons Ltd., a global transport logistics company, has successfully completed the delivery of 90 wind turbine components to the Cushaling Wind Farm in Ireland. “This milestone project is a significant addition to our renewables portfolio, and we are proud to have contributed to Ireland’s renewable energy goals,” the company said. The delivered components […]
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Wind
Oregon Customers Benefit as PGE’s Eastern Montana Wind Farm Helps Set Records
In its first 10 months serving Portland General Electric (PGE) customers, the Clearwater Wind Energy Center contributed to new records for PGE wind generation, including helping the company produce 1 GW of power from wind sources alone—a new milestone. 1 GW (or 1,000 MW) is enough electricity to power the equivalent of 830,000 homes, or about half […]
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T&D
Cable Delivery Begins for Massive German Transmission System Project
After more than two years of meticulous planning and preparation, on behalf of its client Prysmian, deugro has started the first cable drum deliveries for SuedOstLink. SuedOstLink is operated by the transmission system operator TenneT TSO GmbH. It is considered a central component of the energy transition and is primarily intended to bring electricity from […]
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Solar
Solar Leader Enphase Energy Cutting 500 Jobs
California-based Enphase Energy, a company known for its solar power and electric vehicle (EV) charging technology, announced it is laying off about 500 workers. The company in a Nov. 8 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said a challenging economy for the solar power industry requires reduced spending. The cuts come less […]
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Data Centers
Vistra in Talks to Expand Power for Data Centers Through Nuclear, Gas Options
Vistra is pursuing deals with data center developers in Texas and the PJM region to address the industry’s energy needs at multiple sites, executives revealed during the company’s third-quarter earnings call on Nov. 7. The Texas-based competitive generator has entered discussions with some of the largest, unnamed data center operators to increase output at its […]
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Trends
Power Shift: Trump’s Energy Agenda Sparks Cautious Optimism, Climate Concerns
Tuesday’s election, which will return Donald Trump to the White House and grant the U.S. Senate a Republican majority, could have sizeable implications for the power industry. In reactions sent to POWER, industry groups expressed a combination of cautious optimism, resilience, and preparedness for potential changes. Industry leaders are bracing for a pro-fossil fuel agenda […]
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T&D
Cable Deal Supports French Transmission System Upgrades and Expansion
NKT will deliver high-voltage power cable solutions to RTE to enable its long-term strategy to renew, adapt, and develop France’s electricity grid. As one of Europe’s largest exporters of electricity, the upgrade of France’s grid is essential for the power supply of the continent. RTE, France’s transmission system operator (TSO), has awarded NKT the extension […]
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Connected Plant
Takeaways from 2024’s Biggest Outage Events
In an era when utilities and power generators rely on digital information technology (IT) infrastructure to help manage oversight of plant operations, ensuring uptime has never been more essential. Unfortunately, severe weather events can strike at any time—ranging from heavy snowfalls to scorching heat and hurricane winds—causing power outages that could bring production to a […]
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Trends
FERC Blocks PJM Proposal to Expand Amazon Data Center Load at Susquehanna Nuclear Plant
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has rejected an amended interconnection agreement that would have supported expanded co-located load at an Amazon Web Services (AWS) data center connected to the 2,520–MWe Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, citing grid reliability and cost fairness concerns. FERC on Nov. 1 voted 2–1, with Commissioners Mark Christie and […]
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Sustainability
Why Data Center Developers Should Think ‘Power First’
You don’t need me to tell you how artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting the power grid; you can just ask AI. Claude, an AI assistant created by Anthropic, told POWER, “AI training and inference are driving unprecedented demand for data center capacity, particularly due to large language models and other compute-intensive AI workloads.” It also […]
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Trends
Power and Data Center Sectors Join Forces to Resolve Mounting Electricity Demand Uncertainties
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has launched an ambitious new initiative alongside power companies, grid operators, and several tech giants to establish five to 10 “flexibility hubs” that will demonstrate how data centers can be leveraged as flexible grid resources starting in the first half of 2025. EPRI’s three-year Data Center Flexible Load Initiative […]
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Nuclear
Major Microreactor Developer Enters Bankruptcy Amid Nuclear Industry Surge
Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. (USNC), a developer of much-watched microreactor technology and advanced nuclear fuel, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The move signals a critical restructuring phase through which the company will seek to secure new ownership while ensuring uninterrupted operations. The company’s Oct. 29 filings at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District […]